Post 7: The Laws of the Indies

Today’s blog is taking a step in a different direction; it is not your typical virtual tour through an ancient site.  This post examines the Laws of the Indies created by the Spanish, which are known as “Settlement Ordinances”.  The Laws of the Indies are much like modern land zoning legislation by-laws.  They set out different land-uses, types of architecture, and shape the colonies in a planned manner.  Using the “The Spanish-American Grid Plan, An Urban Bureaucratic Form”, written by Graziano Gasparini, this post examines the reason for creating the document. 

It is important to understand why these laws were made.  There are many reasons rulers decide to introduce them.  One of the major ones was to control the people, through the use of the grid pattern.  This set the hierarchy of classes with the rulers and settlers living in the center (plaza, churches, and government buildings).  The lowest classes live near the outskirts, with limited knowledge and access to certain area of the city.  This form of land planning was also useful to fortify the area, protecting the people in power and controlling the flow of attackers.  The urban form shows the coming together of cultures, military control, power, and organization.

After understanding why the Spanish ruler created these laws, it is important to understand how they drafted the laws to create these cities.  The laws controlled what lands could be settled, the type structures and who owned the lands, and how the sites were planned.  The restrictions on land settlement was important for many reasons, ranging from proximity to water ways for trade and fortification to isolation from native population to prevent the spread of disease and cultural mixing.  Furthermore, the laws set out how certain lands must be used, such as for development or for agricultural purposes.  Lastly, by-laws largely created the grid plan design without directly stating the use of it.  These practices show a calculated and mathematical approach to succeeding.

It is particularly interesting to note how the principals created a more uniformed architectural form for the Spanish colonies.  It was an important method of creating an empire without the ruler ever visiting the colonies.  These laws led to the Spanish having advanced urban form through the empire.